Norwayne suffered their closest defeat since March 1, 2024 on Saturday. They fell just short of the Perry Panthers by a score of 54-51. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Bobcats came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' Ohio basketball rankings (they are ranked 72nd, while the Panthers are ranked 213th).
Norwayne's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braden West, who posted 14 points and three steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Parker Metsker, who had eight points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Perry had a senior duo take command as Luke Wolf went 6 for 15 en route to 17 points in addition to six boards and five assists and Darnell Mcleod almost dropped a double-double on 12 points and nine rebounds. Those nine boards gave Mcleod a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Preston Dazey, who scored eight points.
Norwayne's defeat ended a six-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 12-2. As for Perry, the victory got them back to even at 6-6.
Both squads are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Norwayne will take on Rittman at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Perry, they will challenge Chaney at 6:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Perry is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.9 points per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
